150 delegates, nine sessions across three spaces, and a brief that arrived at short notice — we needed to step in, take the reins and deliver a superb event for this high profile client partnership.
OVERVIEW
BEHIND THE SCENES
When our client at the Royal Academy called, the situation was clear: a date change had left the Innovate UK Inclusion in Innovation Forum without a producer or logistics lead. The Royal Academy already had a major event of their own with no extra capacity for planning or delivery. Venue confirmed, date set but almost nothing else in place. Brightspace stepped in and owned the production: programme coordination, speaker management, branding, AV, accessibility planning, catering, registration, and every logistical detail from the first planning call to the final drinks reception.
BRIEF
SHORT NOTICE, HIGH STANDARDS
Innovate UK’s Inclusion in Innovation Forum was designed to bring together some of the UK’s most forward-thinking voices on diversity, access, and the future of science and technology. At etc. venues County Hall — one of London’s most striking venues — 150 delegates would spend the day across a main plenary and nine breakout sessions in three dedicated spaces.
The Royal Academy of Engineering were the host organisation, with Innovate UK as the government partner. When the event date shifted and the RAEng internal team was already fully committed elsewhere, Brightspace were brought in to take ownership of the entire production — from programme design to the moment the last delegate left.
CHALLENGES
TIME, THEME, TECHNICAL
Three things defined this brief. The first was time: we were stepping into an event where very little pre-production had been done, with a fixed date, a fixed venue, and a full programme still to coordinate. Every piece of ground we covered had to be covered fast.
The second was the theme itself. Inclusion in Innovation isn’t just a title — it’s a commitment. With a theme this specific, every physical and logistical decision became a reflection of the message. Getting it right mattered and had very high risk consequences for both brands if we missed anything.
The third was technical complexity: a historic building adapted for events, nine sessions across three spaces, a full speaker roster needing briefing packs and rehearsals, significant AV coordination, and accessibility requirements that demanded meticulous advance planning. We developed an instant rapport with the venue’s own AV provider in order to get everything in place as quickly and as painlessly as possible.
SCOPE
FULL EVENT PRODUCTION
PRODUCER & PROGRAMME LEAD
Single point of contact across both client organisations, the venue, and the AV team. We gathered the full speaker roster, designed a PowerPoint template, produced speaker briefing packs, managed rehearsals, and kept nine sessions across three spaces running precisely to schedule throughout the day.
BRANDING & VISUAL IDENTITY
Built a consistent visual identity across the full event using the client’s branding guidelines — PowerPoint template, digital signage, banners, website and email assets — ensuring every touchpoint reinforced the Inclusion in Innovation message from the first communication to the final slide.
INCLUSION & ACCESSIBILITY
Induction loops, closed captions, obstruction-free routes for sight-impaired guests, and fully accessible wheelchair routes through a historic building — planned months in advance so everything ran smoothly on the day. Dietary and religious requirements proactively covered and clearly signposted throughout.
FULL ON-THE-DAY DELIVERY
From registration and technical liaison to speaker management and guest flow between plenary and breakout sessions — including a complete turnaround of the lunch space for the post-event drinks reception. The RAEng team were free to be hosts; we were running everything else.
OUTCOME
150 DELEGATES, NINE SESSIONS
Just a week after the first call, and after a short handover period, the RAEng events team were able to step back completely; safe in the knowledge that we had this covered.
From a standing start, we delivered a full production where the theme wasn’t just a title on a banner. Every element of inclusion was considered and delivered and we were able to immediately navigate a complicated set-up of dual hosts, many stakeholders and the internal workings of a government agency. Ultimately, that meant that the Royal Academy team were free to focus on hosting their guests rather than logistics.
The Royal Academy of Engineering came back to us after this event with further work which says everything you need to know about how it went.
“We have worked with Brightspace Events on 3 of our projects to date. Sarah and her team are extremely professional, very responsive, have a great attention to detail and are brilliant at coming up with impromptu solutions to any given problems."
Ivana Mackintosh
Head of Events & Marketing, Royal Academy of Engineering
EVENT MOMENTS
Delegates, speakers, and breakout sessions at etc. venues County Hall, London — an Inclusion in Innovation Forum that put its theme into practice in every detail.
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